10th Anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty’s Negotiation Celebrated in Oslo

NEWS IN BRIEF: 10th Anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty’s Negotiation Celebrated in Oslo

On 17 and 18 September, the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Mine Ban Treaty was celebrated in Oslo. Events included an all-day civil society forum to discuss how the close civil society-government partnership that worked so well on landmines could be repeated in other areas, and a panel discussion hosted by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Long time campaigners Tun Channareth and John Rodsted return to Oslo 10 years after the treaty’s successful negotiation. Photo: T. Gabelnick

 

As one of the key actors in the creation of the Mine Ban Treaty, the ICBL had a central role during the events. Jody Williams, ICBL ambassador and Nobel co-laureate, urged states to be more proactive on human security instead of creating and selling increasingly powerful weapons. ICBL ambassadors and landmine survivors Margaret Arach Orech (Uganda), Tun Channareth and Song Kosal (Cambodia), stressed that much more needs to be done to implement the treaty, especially with regard to victim assistance. ICBL Executive Director Sylvie Brigot’s reminder that “it was not time to rest” was highlighted by several other speakers, as was the ICBL’s description of the treaty as “a success in progress”. Song Kosal also called on states to “stop the misery caused when cluster munitions drop their deadly little bomblets,” hoping to “come back in 2008 and say: you were brave and clever and good enough to gain a cluster bomb ban.”

While the focus was mostly on future challenges, there was also much reminiscing about the 1997 Oslo negotiations. In private conversations and public speeches, participants recalled how difficult the final days were, and how the treaty was saved by the strength and determination of those that would not accept “loopholes, reservations or exceptions.”

Tamar Gabelnick, ICBL